John B. (cwousn) -
I tried to give this book a chance since I normally enjoy sea sagas. I've read the complete Hornblower and Bolitho series and am in the middle of the Aubrey/Maturin, Kydd, and Lewrie series. Reading the Russell books makes one think that the Royal Navy of King George III somehow became democratic. Other books that I have read pertaining to this era portray a Captain in the Royal Navy as a god-like figure by virtue of his position. Lessors approached captains with diffidence and trepidation. In this book, lieutenants and midshipmen casually speak to the captain without permission as do some of the crew - something unheard of in actual practice. A member of the crew faced discipline for insolence if he spoke to the captain without permission.
I read around 150 pages lof this book before I finally gave up. To me, it didn't reflect the reality of sail that I have come to expect from books documenting this era. Sorry, but I can't recommend it.
I read around 150 pages lof this book before I finally gave up. To me, it didn't reflect the reality of sail that I have come to expect from books documenting this era. Sorry, but I can't recommend it.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
If you liked the first two books in this series, decent Naval Fiction, but were annoyed by the change in style of the third, then you won't like this one. The fourth book is not Naval Fiction, the correct genre for the fourth is Romance. It's a puzzlement!
